Midnight Diamonds (9 page)

When she eased away moments later, he traced her jawline with his fingers then turned and walked out the front door. An image of Iron Man boxers rose in her mind and she laughed softly, pulling Becky into the kitchen.

“Let’s get more coffee and I’ll tell you about GaGa.”

* * *

When Justin stepped outside, he saw nearly all the reporters leaving. One straggler stayed in his car, taking shots through the open window. He’d told Sam what to say, so maybe now they’d leave Silver alone. He was the real story, and there was no need to involve her.

Sam finished a phone call. “That was GramMer. Justin, they want to sign you ASAP! Merrill Graham says he doesn’t want to take the chance of some other agency getting to you first. I told you all of this media attention would pay off!”

GramMer represented over half of the top 100 artists in country music. Things couldn’t get any better. “When?”

“A few days. Let me take care of the logistics, but this is what we’ve been working for.”

“What do I need to do?”

“First, I put together a show for tonight in Dallas. Might as well capitalize on the moment.”

Excitement thrummed in Justin’s veins. He’d do whatever it took to make things happen with GramMer. “Awesome! Then what?”

“Keep yourself in the news. And celebrate!” Sam slapped him on the shoulder. “You’re on the way to being a superstar.”

* * *

After the fall break, Monday morning arrived with clear blue skies, singing birds, and radiant faces all through the hallways of GaGa high school.

Unfortunately, Silver Madison wasn’t feeling like rainbows and lollipops. Thanks to tossing and turning with vivid dreams about a certain cowboy, she’d overslept by twenty minutes, something she never did. Buddy had taken forever to start. On the way to work, she’d gotten a ticket for speeding, and the slow moving officer had caused her to miss the morning staff meeting.

After hearing the fifteenth perky high school student who chirped, “Good morning, Miss Madison,” she wanted to scream, “Oh, stuff it!” Only fear of consequences stopped the words.

Silver certainly did not need to be reprimanded for verbal mastication of a student. Her principal, Jackie Calloway, had texted to say it was imperative they meet before classes began. She needed an explanation about the weekend. And there was something about the mother of a student, Clay Stevens, wanting Silver’s head on a platter.

It wouldn’t be Monday morning if someone didn’t have some sort of complaint.

So her first order of business had her knocking on Jackie’s office door. When told to come in, she found the principal sitting behind her desk with a stern face.

“Good morning, Jackie…or is it Mrs. Calloway, today?”

Usually they addressed each other informally unless it was professional business. Judging by the way the woman pointed to a chair in front of her desk, this meeting promised to be another notch on Monday’s bedpost. Silver sat and folded her hands in her lap, waiting.

“Miss Madison, you’ve once again put your foot in it. You’ve taught at this high school for five years, and each year you’ve managed to be written up at least once for your verbal exchanges with students.” Opening a file on her desk, Mrs. Calloway lifted several sheets of paper. “Let’s see, your first year wasn’t that bad. Just a bit of sarcasm about a student’s favorite song being on the level of a moronic worm.”

“‘Chicken Fried’ by the Zac Brown Band. That’s hardly an intelligent song,” Silver said in her own defense. Mrs. Calloway cleared her throat before continuing.

“Year two, when a student challenged you in class, you said, ‘Bite me.’ The next year when the football quarterback walked off the field during the week of state playoffs, you told him to…’get his ass back on the field and do his job.’ Is that right?”

Silver crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes, I did. I also told him that if he quit before the big game because of pressure, he’d be quitting the rest of his life every time things became difficult.”

“Hmm. I see that last year a student brought some sort of science project to your classroom, and you told him, ‘Don’t slap your stuff while I’m teaching.’”

“I know that sounds bad, but his homemade Silly Putty was spread out over his desk and he kept pounding it while I was trying to teach. I didn’t stop to think about the seventeen-year-old audience.”

Mrs. Calloway rubbed her bottom lip with an index finger as if she were trying to keep from laughing. “I understand. However, last Thursday you told Clay Stevens ‘pay attention or go play in traffic?’”

“He stares out the window, drums on his desk with a pencil, and won’t take part in class. When I called on him to answer a question, he shrugged and went back to staring out the window again.” Silver grimaced. “Not my best moment, but I’ll speak to him.”

“For the record, I’m asking you to write a letter of apology to Mrs. Stevens and to give a verbal apology to Clay. Capturing those sarcastic comments before they’re spoken can save you from meetings like this.” Jackie closed the file. “Now, off the record… What the hell were you thinking, Silver? It took me over an hour to get that boy’s mother calmed down!”

Silver put her hands palm up in supplication. “I’m sorry, Jackie. On a positive note, this is the first time I’ve been in here this year.” To her relief, the principal grinned and shook her head.

“If you weren’t one of the best teachers in this school, you’d be suspended for a few days. But I understand your frustration. You aren’t the only teacher who says Clay Stevens is a handful right now.”

Silver bit the inside of her cheek, thinking about her irritation toward Clay. “I shouldn’t have lost it. You know my first concern is my students. But Clay has been pushing it for the past two weeks, and it’s getting worse every day. I’ve been wondering if something is going on at home.”

“I might be able to explain why Clay is acting out.” Jackie leaned forward on her desk, both hands clasped under her chin. “According to Mrs. Stevens, Clay’s father walked out three weeks ago, leaving them with no money. Then last week, Clay’s grandmother was hospitalized with cancer. He’s very close to her, and she doesn’t have long.”

Silver groaned. “Now I feel terrible. He calls her Granny and wrote an essay about her last week, but he didn’t mention anything about her being sick.” She frowned at the other woman. “Why wasn’t I told about this?”

Jackie held up her hands. “His mother called to ask why his English teacher was yelling at him in class. Mrs. Stevens insisted we have patience with Clay. I asked what was going on and that’s when she told me about the father and Granny.”

“I will apologize to him for what I said, but I will make sure he understands that he can’t act that way in class.”

Nodding, the principal stood to signal the end of the meeting. “Fair enough. Protecting the student is our priority, not telling them to play in traffic.”

Silver stood, feeling duly chastised. Walking from behind the desk, the principal put a hand on her shoulder. “One more thing. Clay’s mother is thinking of writing a letter to the school board about your actions. I will do what I can to keep this from becoming a disciplinary hearing, but you have to be careful. If the board asks for your file, given the past offenses, I will have no choice but to recommend suspension. Understand?”

Her stomach churning with dread, Silver bowed her head for a moment. “I really am sorry, especially since the school is dealing with so much right now. How are things going?”

“I’ve had better fall breaks. We’re keeping our heads above water right now, but I’m not sure how long we can float.” Jackie hesitated. “If I were you, I’d get my resume in order. Now, what’s this about Justin Rivers spending the night with you? That’s a clear violation of the morality clause. It might be an archaic rule but most women aren’t being stalked by reporters.”

“The press made it out to be something it wasn’t.” Silver told her about fainting, Becky needing to be at the magazine to get the interview article done, and Justin not wanting to leave her alone in case she started feeling sick again. “Trust me, Jackie, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“If my teachers are making news, I worry. Be ready to explain yourself to the board. Another one of those perks with a private school. I’ll talk to you later.”

Silver left the office and closed the door behind her. Knowing the members of GaGa’s board, including her mother, it would not be an enjoyable meeting. Lost in thought on her way to the classroom, she nearly ran into another person.

“Excuse me, miss? Can you direct me to the high school office?”

A petite woman with her silver hair caught up in a ponytail stood with her arms full of file folders. Her soft brown eyes twinkled as if she had some sort of secret, and Silver found herself smiling back.

“Down the hall to your left,” Silver pointed. Looking the woman up and down, she had to say it. “That’s…quite a unique outfit.”

“Oh, my, thank you so much. I’ve had this old thing for ages.”

“You’ve taken good care of it.” If she didn’t know better, she’d swear the bell-bottoms and muslin shirt were from the ’60s. She half expected to see go-go boots on the woman’s feet, but instead she saw paint-splattered tennis shoes.

The older woman shifted the folders and extended her hand. “Gracie McQueen. I’m here to fill in for the art teacher, Mrs. Oldham. Her baby arrived this weekend, so here I am.”

“I hadn’t heard.” Silver shook the woman’s hand and had a strange sense of immediate camaraderie. “Nice to meet you, Gracie. I’m Silver Madison.”

“Silver. What an unusual name.”

“Thank you. I was named after my grandmother.”

“Lovely. Well, I’d best be getting to the office and let them know I’m here. Wouldn’t want to keep the students waiting, now would we? See you later. Have an effulgent day!” She gave a little wave, turned and walked briskly down the hall.

Silver grinned. An art teacher used “effulgent” correctly in a sentence. Suddenly the day seemed a bit brighter. She continued walking to her classroom and smiled at several students who called out more sunny greetings. Her thoughts bounced back to the weekend’s events.

Justin hadn’t called. Not the whole weekend. After that toe-curling kiss in the kitchen, she’d thought for sure that he’d call.

Of course, it didn’t matter. He was on his way to bigger and better things. Naturally, he’d already forgotten about her. She waved at the history teacher as she walked past his room. She could live without talking to Justin Rivers.

Lie much?

Fine, she wanted to hear from the cowboy. She enjoyed talking to him. He made her laugh and brought out the fanciful side of her personality. She liked his dark hair, blue eyes, and distinctive voice. The fact that he was a King Arthur/Romeo mix inspired all sorts of spontaneous fantasies. Would it hurt for him to call?

Silver shook her head and paused outside of her classroom as the final bell rang. Taking a bracing breath, she put on her best smile and entered the classroom. On her desk sat a huge bouquet of fire and ice roses in a crystal vase. Reaching for a small florist card, she opened it and read:

Silver,

Thanks again for the sofa.

Sorry about the craziness but all is taken care of.

Went out of town for a quick show in Dallas.

Dinner tonight?

I promise, no pugnacious conversation.

Justin

He’d written his cell phone number at the bottom of the card.

Her heart beat faster as she smiled at his use of “pugnacious.” Of course, she couldn’t possibly have dinner with him. It was a school night, and she didn’t want to risk another media frenzy. Besides, it made her shaky inside to think about stepping into the dating scene again.

But she wanted to see him. The sudden memory of his lips on her neck caused a flush to creep over her skin. She leaned over to inhale the fragrance of the roses then noticed the quiet room. Looking up from the flowers, she realized her students were watching with smiles. One girl, MacKenzie, had her hand up.

Silver cleared her throat. “Kenzie?”

“Miss Madison, who sent the flowers? Is it your birthday?”

All of her students began talking at once. She held up her hands. “Welcome back. Make sure the cell phones are on silent, not vibrate, and let’s get started.” Walking to a large cabinet stacked with paperback novels, she asked two students to help pass out
To Kill a Mockingbird
. “If you’ve downloaded the novel to your electronic device, please pull it up now.”

As each student received a book or readied his device, Clay slumped down in his seat and stared out the window. Biting the inside of her cheek, she opened her desk and took out a pad of sticky notes, jotted down a few words, then strolled over and stuck the note on his desk. He read it and shrugged.

Standing at the front of the room, she glanced at the roses and smiled. So the cowboy wanted to have dinner. Hmm.

She opened her well-worn copy of
To Kill a Mockingbird
and noticed MacKenzie’s hand up again.

“Yes?”

“Who sent you flowers?”

Silver hesitated a moment then replied, “A friend. Now, open your books to Chapter One. Does anyone know who said, ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself’?” As soon as the famous words by Franklin D. Roosevelt were out of her mouth, they strummed a chord inside her soul and she made a decision without skipping a beat in her lesson plans.

Dinner with a cowboy sounded pretty good.

Nearly an hour later, after giving background notes on the South during the Great Depression and reading the first few pages out loud, she dismissed the class and readied herself to talk with Clay. While everyone left the room, he sat sullenly at his desk, his shoulders hunched forward and his arms across his chest in a defensive gesture.

Silver sat down on a desk in front of him. “Clay, I owe you an apology.”